Improvement in sewustq-maohuns



Fox & HUBBARD;

. Sewing" Machine. No. 80,861. Patented Aug. H, 1868.

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Letters Patent No. 80,861, dated August 11, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MAGHINE.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, GEORGE H. FOX and JOSEPH HUBBARD, both of Boston,in the county of Snffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Scwing-ltachines; and we dohereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawingswhich accompany and formpart of this specication, is a description ofour invention suiicient'to enable those skilled in theA art t6 practiseit.

The invention relates to details of construction of that class ofsingle-thread or tambour-stitch sewingmachines,in each of which astationary looper or looping-neger is-used in connection with a hook orcrochetneedle, and in which the needle is the feeding-instrument,theneedle being the only device in the stitch-forming mechanism that haspositive movement, said needle having a round eye at its top, throughwhich a crank-pin on the driving-shaft extends, rotation of the crankimparting an up-and-down movement and avibrating orlaterally-reciprocating movement to the needle, to form the sudcessivestitches, and feed the work..

A. inachine having these general characteristics is illustrated anddescribed in United States patent, No. 67,535, and the accompanyingdrawing shows at A an elevation of a similar machine embodying ourimprovements. v

Our improvements, which relate wholly to specific details ofconstruction, consist in the arrangement-of a screw and nut,vso disposed`as to clamp both the needle-guide and. the stripper-plate, and incombining therewith a spring, so disposed as to prevent slipping cfeither the guide or stripper when the screw is loosened.

Also, in a peculiar or peculiarlyarranged spring for holding thespool-spindle.

Also, in the'construction and methodef applying a click ordetaining-pawl, to prevent back motion of the driving-Shea. i

:t denotes the frame of the machine.

l), the Work-supporting plate;

c, the driving-shaft.

d, the needle.

e, the thread-guide.

f, the spool.

g, the spool-spindle.

t, a clamp-screw, by meansiof which thelnacliine is secured to the edgeof a table. The front end of the driving-shaft is bent t" foi-zn acrank-arm, ,-the 4end of which slips loosely through an eye made at thehead of the needle, the end of the crank-arm being lscrew-threaded, andprovided with a nut, k, for confining the needle d upon the crank. v

Thetop of the needle being thus hung and supported, and being by motionof the shaft driven rotatively, the bottom ofthe needle extends througha guide-hole in a stationary plate, m, fastenedy to the head n.' As thetop of the needle, in working up and down, also works to and fro(late1ally,) its lower end vibrates against the plate m asa fulcrum, andthese vibrating movements impart the feed or progressivemovement's tothe cloth, the needle entering the cloth at an angle, and the lowcr endmoving forward and carrying the cloth as the needle ascends.

As the amount of lateral movement of the lower end of the needle isdependent upon the position of the fulcruni and guideplatem, such plateis made adjustable in height to change the length of the stitch, toeffect which it is made with a long slot, o, through which and the heada screw, p, passes, a mit, g, on the screw serving tocdamp the plate tothe head. By raising or lowering the plate, and fastening it inposition, the length of stitch may be regnlated as desired.

Beneath the fulcrum-'plate m is an adjustable stripper-plate, j, whichstrips the cloth from the needle as the needle rises, and this plate isconined to the head by the same screw and nut that conne the fulcrum andguide-plate, (as seen at A, where the head is shown inl seetion,) thisarrangement enabling the adjusting and clamping-screw to pass entirely7through the head, (the head ofthe screw working against one plate andthe nut sonni against the'other,) savingthe expense ot an extra screwand nut', and enabling the fastcnings to he more easily andreadilyapplied. Y 4 v As either the fulcrum-plate or'the-stripper-.plate mayalone requirev adjustment, some provision is desirable for preventingeither from' falling when the' nut is loosened on its screw. For thispurpose we apply a spring,

I p g2, back of the" stripper-plate, between it and the nut, the ends ofthe spring bearing upon lthe plate and its construct and apply the pawlas follows:

centre upon the nut, as shown at A. New, when the nut is turnedbackslightly, enough friction exists, by reason of the spring, tov hold thetwo plates in position, while permitting either to be moved withoutdisturbing the other.

The spool-spindle g is shown as hinged to the frame, so that it may beswung outwardly, for removal of one spool or application of another.

Bein so made to swing, some self-locking device is-needed formaintaining it in upright position while the l spool is rotating anddelivering its thread. For this purpose we apply abent spring, r,fastened at one end, by a screw, s, to a projection,.t, and extendingunder the bar u of ther'rame a over the spindle g, it having a recess orbearing, u, into which `the upper end of the spindle ts. I The outer endof the screw is bent upwards slightly, as seen at B, which rep csents asection on the line :z: w.

The hinge v of the spool-spindle is so arranged that the spindle onlyswings in the plane oi' the hinge and the bearinguz, so that' when thespindle is swung up towards a vertical position,'its top will alwayspress up the spring and slip into the bearing, thus enabling thespool-spindle to be slipped from or into position with facility, and'without removal of any part. v

'.lo prevent missing 'of stitches, it is necessary to drive the shaftalways in one direction, and a ratchet and detainng-pawl are thereforeemployed to prevent back movement of the shaft.

ozdenotes the ratpchetfwheel, fixed upon the shaft c. w is thespring-pawl. Such pawls are generally hinged,

and -it is not only expensive to apply them, but s uch hinge-pins areconstantly breaking, to remedy which we Projectingfrorntop of frame a isapiece, into which is bored a socket for holding a spring, y.' I ntothis socket, and so as to bear. against the spring, is slipped the pawlzu, which is simply a4 straight piece of wire, with a tooth or inclineformed at its lower end, to slip between the ratchet-teeth, as seen atC, which shows a section in' the plane of the pawl. This pawl beingslipped into the socket before the shaft and ratchet are applied, the

ratchet holdsthc pawl in position, while the spring allows it to slipback, and presses it down as the teeth in succession rotate. I

All of these details of construction tend to cheapen the machine, andimprove its eiiiciency.

We claim, in combination withA the adjustable fulcrum and guide-,platem, and the adjustable stripper-plate j, the screw and nut, arranged tohold both plates in position, substantially as shown and described.

Wealso claim, in combination with the two plates m and j, and the screwand nut, the friction-spring q2,

arranged to'operate substantially as lshown and described.

GEO. H. FOX,

JOSEPH HUBBARD.

Witnesses:

J. B. CROSBY,

FRANCIS GouLn.

